Improvement in excavators for water-courses having currents



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEicE.

NELSON VAN DEVENTER, OF NEW ALBANY, INDIANA.

IMPROVEMENT 1N EXCAVATORS FOR WATER-COURSES HVING CURRENTS.

Specification forming part 0f Letters Patent No. 33,460, dated October 8, 1861.

To all whom t may con/cern:

Be it known that I, NELSON VAN DEVENTER, of New Albany, in the county of Floyd and State of Indiana, have made a new and useful Improvement in Current-Excavators; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification, the same letters being used to designate the same parts shown in the respective figures, in which- Figure l is a side elevation. Fig. 2 is a top View. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional View of the excavator. l

The drawings show only the stern of the Vessel on which the excavator is supposed to be mounted. Such part required for the location of the steam-engine and boilers necessary to produce the power is omitted, this omitted section being similar to the part of vessel making the bow, and other embodiments as a whole, with the steam engine or engines and boilers so placed as to cause the power to turn the shaft a, which can be done by direct action or driving-gearing which drives the wheel X on the same shaft. The shaft also lying across the deck and marked l), on which are winding-barrels s s and pawl y, can be placed `in other positions, if necessary, to be out of the way in making the attachment of the engine to the shaft a. The use of the winding-barrels is to change the position of the excavator, so the depth of cutting can be changed, and also elevate it for the purpose of moving the Vessel or making any repairs which may be required, the chains e being attached to the end of the frame d and passing over pulleys in posts P and passing around the winding-barrels.

The projections marked g (see Fig. 2) represent the guards of the vessel. The shaft a passes on each side to the full width of these guards, and on the ends are lnounted the side frames c, which support the frame d, and joined by stays to make a strong framing, and with angular supports toA hold the cutting-cylinder or excavator f f. This cylinder is mounted on the ends of these frames, the shaft passing through it and making its center ,having journals fitting into bearings made in the frames. The other ends of the frames are similarly attached to shaft a. On p shaft a and the shaft f (making the center for the excavator) are wheels fu to carry a pitch-chain e' to cause the excavator to revolve with shaft a. If it is deemed preferable to use a rigid connection, a shaft can be used instead of the chain, having bevel-gearing with corresponding Wheels to act on it to bring the same movement.

A is the body of the stern, having a rudder r. o 0 designate the frames supporting the shafts a and b.

The manner of constructing the excavator is as follows: f is a central shaft of a length to suit the width of the boat and of sufficient thickness for strength, and is journaled in the lower end of the framed. ff represent a series of serrated metallic disks, the teeth of which are turned alternately in opposite directions, (see Fig. 2,) in a manner similar to the setting of circular saws, but to a greater degree. The disks fare placed upon the shaft -f, as shown in Fig. 3, with their teeth in parallel positions, and kept at a suitable distance apart by rings or chocks 'L' r, the'exterior rings being attached to the shaft to secure the whole in position. The Obliquity of the teeth causes them to cut a width equal to the distance between the disks, so as to act thoroughly upon the earth throughout the entire length of the excavator. This construction of ex vcavator is found highly efficient in raising deposits in channels and separating the earth into small particles, so that it may be carried off by the current. l

W'hat I claim as new, and desire t'o secure by Letters Patent, is#

The combination of the rotary shaft f', disks f, with teeth set obliquely, and rings i', securing the said disks at a proper distance apart, the whole being constructed and arranged as herein shown `and described, and operating in connection with the steamboat A, pivoted frames c d, and hoisting apparatus b s e p, in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

N. VAN DEVENTER.

Witnesses:

A. G. BRICE, JOHN A. HUGHES. 

